Ants have different 'standards', study reveals
Ants have different 'standards' when it comes to finding a new home, according to research by the University of Bristol.
The study, published in Royal Society Open Science, found that while some ants are happy to slum it out in anything with a roof, others are so picky that even the equivalent of a mansion will not do.
Scientists know that ants use a 'quorum' to make decisions. This is where a certain number of ants 'vote' for any one option before the colony as a whole makes a choice. However, what is not known is how the opinions of individual ants affect this.
Now, using mathematical modelling, researchers from Bristol's Schools of Engineering Mathematics and Biological Sciences have demonstrated that the answer may lie in the varying 'pickiness' of ants in a colony.
Their modelling revealed this distribution of individual 'standards' across the colony makes for a robust, but effective, method of nest choice.
When this was simulated, the results were strikingly similar to the behaviour of real ants. This suggests that, in insects often known for their uniformity, individuality may hold the key to their success.
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